New Obama aide to oversee health care

May 18, 2014
|

The White House / Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

Add the name Kristie Canegallo to the list of low-profile people with high-responsibility jobs in Washington.

President Obama has appointed Canegallo as a new deputy chief of staff with a portfolio that includes oversight over the new and politically challenging health care law.

Canegallo inherits the health care account from Phil Schiliro, who is leaving the White House this month.

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said the administration is seeking to institutionalize some of the lessons it has learned from major events, including last year's botched rollout of the health care plan.

"Given our experience with healthcare.gov, we have determined we need more senior-level focus on implementation and execution," McDonough said in a statement.

Canegallo, a former aide to McDonough, will also oversee a length list of other potentially hot button issues, including education policies, the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan, technology development, veteran's affairs, data privacy, and immigration policy.

"She will now be in a position to help implement and execute the Administration's priorities across the government," McDonough said.

"Unlike many of Obama's top advisers, who came to their jobs through politics, Canegallo started as a civilian Pentagon official on detail to the White House when Obama came into office in 2009. Trained as a credit derivatives analyst at Goldman Sachs, she served as director in the National Security Council's Defense Policy and Strategy Directorate for two years before becoming senior adviser to McDonough, who was then the president's deputy national security adviser.

"Thomas E. Donilon, who served as national security adviser during Obama's first term, said in an interview that Canegallo has a 'tremendous breadth of experience' and rose through the ranks because of her political management skills."